"Loki!"

Thor's eyes narrowed in on his brother as he hurried after him in the dimly lit corridor, the obtrusive light from the door at the hall's end hiding the younger's face from view.

"I told you," Loki voiced as Thor approached, his hands clasped together behind his back. A nearby torch better illuminated his features, and Thor could easily detect the flicker of annoyance across his face. "I cannot train today. I have business of my own to attend to."

"I've heard of this business," Thor muttered, grasping him by the arm and pulling him closer. "Loki, do not be foolhardy with Odin's kindness-"

"Kindness?" the man spat, wrenching his arm back as his eyes narrowed, "What are you prattling about?"

"What business have you to inquire about a house outside of the palace?" Thor demanded, shaking his head as he quickly took in his brother's appearance. Loki took a step away from him, his hands in fists now, and he glared.

"Who said anything of that sort?" he snapped, "I have been nothing but obedient to the All-father's rules since my release-"

"On my behalf, one of your servants has been-"

"Spying?" Loki spat, his jaw tense as he spoke, "Following me?"

"Protecting you," Thor reasoned. "Loki, I beseech you not to do anything foolish so soon after your stint in the dungeons has ended. People are only just beginning to forget your most recent deeds, and it would pain me to see you locked up again."

"How silly of me," his brother trilled, gesturing out with his arms stretched, a cold smile on his lips, "and here I thought these walls were built from the same stock as my cell!"

"This is your home, Loki," Thor told him, something he had said many times before and would undoubtedly say many times again. "This is a place of comfort."

"I find no comfort in a place where I cannot go about my own private business without servants scurrying back to lick your boots," he sneered. "I shall be home in time for dinner… Don't let Frigga worry."

"Loki…"

Thor sighed sadly as he watched the man storm off toward the door, disappearing moments later without another word. Just this morning they had been full of jests, and now, an hour later, his mood had taken a turn for the worse. By now, he thought he would be used to seeing his brother like this: angry, desolate, hurt. However, it still shocked him to his deepest foundations when Loki was outwardly cruel to him, no hint of remorse evident on his face.

This altercation had done nothing to soothe Thor's worries for Loki, and he cursed himself as he stormed back into the depths of their familial home. He shouldn't have come at him so aggressively, accusations flying this way and that; Loki was remarkably hostile toward anything that came across as accusatory these days, particularly from Thor and his parents. It was so strange that, after all this time, he still needed to learn how to interact with the man who had once been the person dearest to his heart.

"My lord?"

"Come," Thor whispered, beckoning a slim man out from the shadows.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of such news," the servant told him softly, his tone genuine as he tugged at his shirt.

"It's no matter to me," he insisted. "Follow him today, and report back to me when you have something… but not a word to anyone else. The All-father cannot know if Loki has become treacherous again."

"And if he has?"

His eyebrows knitted at the inquisitive servant, who quickly retracted the statement.

"Do not be caught by him," Thor warned seriously, grasping the man by the shoulder and squeezing tight, "because he will hurt you, and I cannot guarantee a speedy recovery from his wrath."

"I understand."

"Now hurry," he urged, pushing him gently in Loki's direction, "or you will lose him."

The young man gave him a nod, and then raced down the halls, slipping between shadows so well that even Thor had trouble following him. Once he was truly alone, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed, and with weary eyes and a heavy step, he hurried down to the armory to collect his weapons for training in the arena; he had made the Warriors Three wait long enough.

Sigyn played with the soft fabric of the outermost layer of her soft pink dress, fidgeting and glancing around to ensure no one was paying too much attention to her. She had chosen to sit beneath the shade of a beautiful hanging plant on the outskirts of the palace wall, right at the spot Loki had specified they were to meet. Thus far, no one but a few individuals strolling by on the moderately busy city street had paid her much notice, but she still felt uneasy being so exposed. Exhaling a small puff of air, her hands suddenly went to her loose braid, the fingers sliding between each grouping of hair in order to disassemble it, and she busied herself with it once more in order to pass the time. He wasn't running late yet, but she knew he would be by soon, and she had almost wished he had been early instead.

Today, she wouldn't be gardening, but rather looking at the home he had found her to use as an intermediary residence while she and Theoric worked through their issues. It had only been two days since the prince suggested she find alternative living arrangements as a way to gain some perspective on her relationship, and in that time Theoric's behaviour had convinced her that space might be what was needed. After all, they had been living together for a number of years now, and she knew that the added stress with the Hawkes had made him extra sensitive to her follies. He may not have pushed her again, but he had been incredibly unimpressed with every meal she produced, and the night before had made her clean the kitchen twice before he was wholly satisfied with her work; her fingers were still raw.

Although it seemed that this new house could not have come at a better time, Sigyn felt horribly guilty for doing everything behind his back. She could only imagine how hurt he will be when he discovers that she has moved her things out – assuming that the house Loki procured for her is a good fit – and she had gone back and forth between warning him and simply moving out. If she warned him, she knew Theoric might change his tune, perhaps behave a little kinder in order to keep her by his side. She knew he had gentleness within him, but it shouldn't take her leaving to show it. However, if she simply left without the warning, he may assume that she ran off with someone, and that would be awful for both of them.

So, if she liked the temporary house, Sigyn planned to leave a note detailing her grievances for Theoric to find when he returned home from work. It would be much easier to have him read her problems than have him listen to them, as she already knew he would find ways around them to make them all seem small. And yes, some of her issues were insignificant, but sometimes even the insignificant should have a voice, even fleetingly. Theoric needn't change his entire outlook on life; Sigyn merely wanted him to realize that he could be a little too harsh on her from time to time. If he took a step back to consider the way he might make her feel, perhaps he would behave differently. Small steps were all she wanted, and she hoped that time apart might give them the opportunity to realize the positives in the other in order to reconcile and move forward.

Well, that was all in theory, anyway. If the house wasn't something she wanted, Sigyn may be forced to prod Loki's brain for other ideas about how she ought to handle the situation at home, as he seemed to have a lot to say on the subject.

Speaking of Loki…

Sigyn spotted him as he hurried through the small door beside the palace's opulent gates, striding out into the street in such a flurry that a couple skirted out of the way to avoid him. He had a long piece of fabric clutched in his grasp, and as Sigyn rose from her small bench beneath the mammoth hanging pot, she saw that he looked quite irritated indeed. She swallowed thickly; had it been a bother to take her to the house today? He had found one for her so quickly, and she assumed he was ready to show her it when she asked him the day before, but perhaps that had been presumptuous.

Much to her relief, she saw his face soften when he spied her standing in the shade of the pot, and he crossed the distance between them quickly.

"We don't need to go today if you haven't the time," she blurted when he finally stopped before her, and her cheeks tinted when he frowned. "I could always go work-"

"Nonsense," Loki remarked briskly, shaking out the dark blue fabric and then wrapping it around Sigyn's shoulders. "Why wouldn't we go today?"

She shrugged, and then flinched away from his hands when they pulled a hood up over her head, "What is this?"

"Insurance," he murmured, his gaze meeting hers sharply. "You never know who is watching you in Asgard."

"Oh."

She looked around nervously, now wondering just who had already seen her seated there, fretting like a nervous kitten on its own. There were dozens of people milling about in front of the palace; some came to ogle the golden gates, while others were merely passing by on their way to some other part of the magnificent city. Her home was in the opposite direction, nestled between the dry hills and deep lakes that were known to surround the city's outskirts. Most of the people she knew would have been back there, away from the noise of shiny industry, but considering Theoric heard his information about her and Loki from the palace guards, she really couldn't be too cautious.

It took some effort to match the easy grin Loki wore as he tucked her braid back into her hood, hiding almost all traces of her beneath the thick blue material. Once satisfied, he gave her a nod, and then crooked his arm for her.

"Take this," he offered. "We'll need to walk a ways into the city."

She looped her arm around his quickly, and then held on for good measure as he hurried them out across the golden-bricked streets. Although his lips gave her the smile she was accustomed to, Sigyn grew more and more nervous as Loki's tension began to rub off on her. She noticed he kept looking this way and that, his eyes steely and focused as he weaved them through narrow side streets. Sigyn tried her best not to let her eyes linger on the pristine shop windows filled with glamorous garments, but it was so seldom that she was in the city, and she wished they could have gone through slowly so that she could examine everything. However, Loki was doing her a favour, and she wasn't about to drag him down in the process.

"I don't see many houses down here," Sigyn commented absently, pressing close Loki when a pair of men refused to move out of the way for her in passing. He seemed a little more relaxed now that they were in the busier portion of the city, surrounded by people who barely paid them any attention as they went about their business.

"It's not a house, per se," Loki remarked, turning sharply into a narrow alley and brushing by a lanky boy without a care that he had made the lad stumble. "It's a series of houses in one building… Does that make sense?"

"Yes," she breathed, nodding up at him when he smiled. "Single floored, up high… My father and I lived in one when I was a girl... for a time."

"Oh, good," he mused. "Perhaps you will like it more then."

"I'm sure I will like anything you give me," she assured him, "even if it was just a room somewhere."

"I would never give you just that," Loki muttered, his voice so soft that she almost missed it. "There's much more I can give."

She said nothing at that, mostly because she assumed the comment wasn't meant for her, and instead released him when he finally stopped at the end of a row of moderately sized tawny buildings. There were about five large windows that stretched across what she assumed was each floor in the rectangular towers, and Sigyn counted roughly eight vertically, and yet there were taller buildings still. Sigyn stared up, lost in the world of height and shimmer, and had to gather up her skirts in order to catch up with Loki as he ascended a wide staircase running along the side of the building. They had to walk up roughly three floors, and by the end of it Sigyn was trying desperately to hide just how winded she was, but it was certainly nice to be away from the buzz of the street.

The staircase continued on up the building, changing direction when it reached one end and starting back toward the other. The construction of it all seemed a bit confusing, and Sigyn was pleased that they had stopped before she had to deal with it at such a precarious height. There were doors along the side of the building, one at each level, and Sigyn tentatively reached out to touch the rather large copper nob. However, she brought her hand back beneath her cloak when Loki produced a key and wedged it into the lock, turning it noisily and pushing open the door for her.

"I asked the seller to hold it while we looked," he told her when she glanced up at him. "It isn't yours yet, but it can be if you like it."

"Mine?" Sigyn repeated as she tore her eyes away from the bright interior of the domain, frowning up at him, "I don't want you to buy me a house… I suspect I'll only be here until the wedding."

"Oh, I think you'll need it after the wedding too," Loki murmured. He sighed when her frown deepened, and then gestured in once more, "Consider it a wedding gift then."

"This would be far too grand a gift-"

"All right," he growled, and the sharpness of his tone made her shy away from his gaze, "I will buy it for myself and you may be my tenant."

"I like that better," Sigyn told him, and then dared a peek up at him. "If that pleases you?"

"Oh, it pleases me," he laughed, the bite still in his voice, "though I shall warn you now… money certainly will not pay my rent."

She swallowed thickly at the insinuation, and remained tense even when he laughed.

"I'm only playing, Sigyn," he remarked, nodding inside just as another couple started at the bottom of the stairs. "Go on in… We're in the way."

Sigyn hurried inside when she felt him place his hand on her back, and she finally removed her hood once he shut the door. Secure and indoors at last, she felt as though she could breathe a sigh of relief without the constant fear of being watched. She found herself standing in a bright hallway, and she debated removing her shoes for a brief moment. However, Loki stepped in with his boots on, so she assumed it was safe for her to do the same.

This place was so incredibly light, and Sigyn took a moment to examine the front entrance hall: off-white with flecks of pink and gold in the stonework on both the walls and the floors. The design carried on further into the flat, and Sigyn paused when she spied what appeared to be the living room. The furniture may have been sparse, but it would be just enough for her to get by for now. Her fingers fiddled with the dark blue fabric of her borrowed cloak as she strolled into the room; it stretched the entire length of the apartment, it seemed, and it had those gloriously large windows she had seen earlier from the street. She almost skipped across the space to look out them, smiling as she spied on the clusters of people walking through the golden streets below. She could spend hours perched on a window ledge if she let herself, nothing in the world to do but watch the people below.

"What do you think?"

Sigyn glanced over her shoulder as Loki studied her from the broad doorway, learning against the wall beneath the rounded edges of the opening.

"It's lovely," she breathed, shooting him a smile as she examined the white couch set in the middle of the room, and then on to the decorative stonework on one of the walls. "Is there more to it?"

"Of course there is," Loki chuckled, holding out his hand for her to take as he beckoned her across the room. Sigyn hurried to his side, her eyes alight with excitement; there must have been magic in this place, because it managed to boost her mood with each step she took. It was so light, so airy, so relaxing – enough so that Sigyn temporarily forgot the reason she was even looking at it. Loki tugged her across the hall when he snatched up her hand, placing her in front of him as he pushed open another door. "A bedroom… with a bath."

The room was dark without windows, but the light from the living room across the way was enough to allow her to see the double bed situated in the middle, along with a dresser to its left. She stuck her head in further and spied a door in the darkness, which she assumed led to this bath that Loki spoke of, but none of that had much interest for her.

"Is there a kitchen?" she asked hopefully, turning back to face the prince, her eyes still alight. It was the room in which she spent the majority of her time each day, and she hoped it would give her the same lovely feeling as the rest of the apartment did. Even if Loki intended to buy the place for him and simply allow her to use it, she was exceptionally happy at how it made her feel already.

"Down the hall," he replied softly, and Sigyn was off like a shot, swinging around the corner to the final door in the corridor.

As soon as she stepped inside, the room automatically lit up from a hanging fixture in the center of the room, and Sigyn ran her hands along the marble countertops as she examined it all. Her kitchen at home may have had everything she needed, but this offered her something more: space and the freedom to do whatever she pleased. If she stayed here, she could leave it as tidy or as messy as she liked, though it would be a shame to dirty such a pristine room. She spent a great deal of time examining every appliance the room had to offer, including a walk-in icebox near the back which would be excellent for storage. She fussed over the metallic sink and spout, and even turned the automatic stove on and off several times, in awe of such technology. When she finished playing, Sigyn drifted back toward the living room, and it was there she found Loki standing before one the large windows, his hands clasped together behind his back.

"If you were looking to purchase a new home," Sigyn offered, her arrival making him turn back sharply, "then this would be a wonderful choice."

She fidgeted under his gaze, and finally seated herself at the edge of one of the white backless couches, smoothing her hands over her knees as Loki approached.

"So you approve?"

"Oh, very much so," she told him as he settled himself on the couch across from her.

"Tell me what you like."

"Everything," she blurted, flushing at her enthusiasm as he grinned. "I don't know how you managed to find such a wonderful haven in the core of the city… It's beautiful, and open… and friendly."

"A house can be friendly?"

"Don't you feel welcome?" she asked, hoping to make up for the silly choice in words. "I feel as though I am not imposing by being here. It's a nice feeling."

"Then I shall get it for you," Loki remarked happily, glancing up and around the room.

"Not for me," she insisted in an effort to quash any of those ideas before they grew too sizable. "I'll only be a temporary houseguest."

"Of course."

He looked as though he didn't quite believe her, as though the comment was intended to humour her in some way, and Sigyn frowned. She tried to keep her voice a little more firm this time, but it seemed to fall flat in her efforts.

"I mean it," she told him. "This will be a good place for me to collect my thoughts about what I am to say to Theoric, but I don't mean to live here forever."

"Well, not forever, no."

"Most certainly not after the wedding."

"If you say so."

Sigyn sighed, the frustration plain on her features, and then shook her head. She said nothing more on the matter, however, as she did not want to insult Loki by arguing with him over this. He was doing her an extraordinary favour; here he was, a man who had really only know her a month or so by name, and he was going out of his way to ensure her safety and the success of her relationship (in theory, anyway), whereas Sigyn had neighbours who had listened to Theoric's shouting for years and done nothing. It was actually a little embarrassing that someone she knew so little about needed to help her sort her issues into a manageable weight, but for now, she planned to take all the help she could get.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, making his eyebrows shoot up, "for this. You needn't bother with me, but I appreciate that you do."

"Perhaps one day you can repay me," Loki told her, a small smile on his lips as she fidgeted. "So, shall I inform that owner that I would like to purchase the property?"

"Oh, yes!" Sigyn insisted, and then cleared her throat, "If that is what you wish to do, I mean."

"I believe it is," he remarked as he stood. "I can change the ceilings for you too, if you like?"

She frowned for a moment, trying to piece together exactly what he was hinting at, and then recalled the lovely work that he had made of the ceiling in his bedroom.

"Could you?" she asked quietly, "I don't want to impose further-"

"Nonsense," he admonished, brushing off her concern with a wave of his hand. "I happen to enjoy it, and if the bedroom is to be mine, I'll change it to anything you like."

"You spoil me," she joked as she stood, crossing her arms over her chest as she slowly marched toward one of the grand windows. "This will be good for us… Theoric will see that we cannot marry when there are so many issues between us. I don't think he's truly happy with me either."

"Then he is a fool."

"No, I don't think we are ever truly happy with the one we love," Sigyn commented absently, her eyes following a couple as they strolled through the streets three storeys below, arms linked. "No one is ever going to be perfect enough for that."

"I think it's a matter of perspective," Loki told her, and she listened to each footfall as he approached her. She tensed when he stopped, and for a moment they said nothing to one another. When she glanced up, she could see his reflection in the window; he gazed down at her, and then reached for the tip of her braid. Her eyes closed when she felt him fiddle with it, "You're very lovely."

"Thank you," she replied automatically, still stiff under his touch. When she opened her eyes once more, he had slipped a hand around her waist, and she let out a small puff of air when the hand came to rest on her stomach.

She was about to say something to ward him off, but the sentiment caught in her throat when she spied a bit of a scene taking place in the street. An elderly man leaned heavily on a cane as he dragged a small, distressed girl out from a shop across the road by the ends of her hair. Sigyn frowned, watching the little body struggle against the much larger one, and swallowed thickly when she saw him turn back and berate her. People skirted around them, eager to get away from the unfurling drama, and after a moment or so, Sigyn also looked away.

However, she was forced to return to the scene when Loki's hand appeared beside her, the tips of his fingers against the glass. She watched, captivated by his movements, and then spared a glance down at the scene. A moment or so later, the older man's wooden cane snapped clear in half, and he tumbled to the ground, releasing the girl as he went. A small smile tugged at her lips as the child took off through the streets.

"Prince Loki," she mused, turning her head to the side to regard him, "Defender of the Weak and Powerless."

"Sometimes," he mused softly. Sigyn licked her lips as he leaned inward, intentions plain with the way he stared down at her lips, and she quickly turned her head back to the window.

"When shall I move in?" she asked brightly with a hope that if she ignored his moments of weakness, she could pretend they hadn't happened. He sighed in her ear, and then finally released her, opting to stand next to her rather than behind her. "How shall I get my things here?"

"Tomorrow," Loki replied. She spared a quick look toward him and saw that he was staring beyond the building across the street, eyes unfocused. "Pack a bag or two after Theoric leaves you for the day, and I will send your escort to collect you and bring you here rather than the palace. I'll see to securing the property tonight."

"What shall I bring?"

"Anything you like."

Sigyn thought hard for a moment about what would be worthy to collect from her house, and then quickly realized almost everything belonged to Theoric. He had purchased all the appliances, the furniture, and most of her jewelry. However, many of her dresses belonged to her, and seeing as the apartment was already furnished, she really only needed the essentials to get her through a few weeks.

"I'm going to cook you dinner tomorrow night," she said suddenly, spitting out the idea before she actually processed it. Loki glanced down at her quickly, and she shrugged, "It won't be like the food in the palace, but it… it's all I can do to pay you for your generosity."

"I certainly don't require payment," Loki told her kindly, "but now that you've brought it up, I can think of nothing better."

She smiled happily, and then turned away from the window, insisting she ought to explore the kitchen a little more thoroughly if she was going to cook for a prince.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I think, for now, Loki is pretty stuck on the idea that if he separates Sigyn and Theoric, he's basically won everything.

I don't have many notes today, as I'm in a rush to post this one before I head to work in ten minutes. However, I just want to say that the relationship between Loki and Sigyn now is not the one we will see for long… It will be a changing entity throughout the story, and it's something I'm excited to explore.

Much love for all the lovely feedback!